Ribbon-feed mechanism



Nov. 17, 1925 O. A. HOKANSON RIBBON FEED MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 25, 1921 Nov. 17, 1925 v 1,581,540 I o. A. HOKANSON RIBBONFEED MECHANI SM Filed Aug. 25. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v -QQT 1 22 642/ I'Hm [I O 1/ IM "'J' Nov. 17, 1925- o. A. HOKANSON RIBBON FEED MECHANISMFiled Aug. 25. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 @zmi /ww J W; W

Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO A. HOKANSON, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WOODSTOCK TYPE-WRITER COMPANY, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RIBBON-FEED MECHANISM.

.Application fi led August 25, 1921. Serial No. 495,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro A. HOKANSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woodstock, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbon-FeedMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriter mech-' anism for feeding the inkingribbon past the printing point and has for its object the provision ofmechanism for this purpose which shall be of improved construction andoperation.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings and described in the followingspecification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of atypewriter showing one form of the present invention a plied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the mechani'sm shown in Fig. 1 showingone unit of the ribbon feed mechanism in elevation; and

Fi 3 is a vertical section of atypewriter showing the ribbonfeedmechanism in front elevation with parts removed. 7

The present invention is especially appli-' cable to compactible'typewriters and in the drawings it'is il ustrated as applied to amachine of the f lding type having a main frame 10 on which is pivotallymounted a pair of folding arms 11 which carry the platen carriage frame12. The platen carriage 13 is mounted to slide transversely of themachine on ways 14. The arms 11 and the platen carria e frame thereonare arranged to swing orwardly about pivots 15 tov bring the platen 16toward the front of the machine into an inoperative folded position. Theribbon feed mechanism is carried entirely on the main frame so that thefolding of the platen carriage does not disturb the operative connectionof this mechanism. The ribbon is wound on a air of spools 17 journaledon horizontally isposed s indles 18 which are carried by brackets 19ormed from the side plates of themain frame 10 and bent inwardl from themain frame so that the s ools 1 aredisposed within the confines o themain frame and are located at opposite sides of the type bars andslightly in front of the platen. This arrangement contributes to thecompactness of the device since it utilizes space for the spools whichotherwise would not be occupied. The brackets 19 are provided with 'abearing sleeve 20 rigidly secured thereto and the spindle'18 is held' inlace in the bearin sleeve by a collar 21. The ribbon is carried on aremovable core 22 which isheld in place by a cover 23 and s finger-piece24, the finger-piece having threaded connection with the spindle 18. Theinner flan e of the spool 17 comprises a disc 25 fixe to the spindle 18and rovided with ratchet teeth 26 on its peripliery. The core 22 is heldagainst rotation relative to the disc 25. R0- tation ofthc ratchet wheel25 turns the core 22 to. wind the ribbon thereon. It will be understoodthata spool 17 "is rovided at each side of the machine and t at, theribeach spool.

The ratchet wheel 25 is rotated v by a pawl 27 which ispivotally mountedat 28, Fig. 2, on a downwardl extending arm 29 connected to a rocking ar30. The rocker bar 30 is pivotally supported on the side plate of themachine frame 10 at each side of the machine, as shown at 31, and it isprovided with a forwardly extending arm 32 pivotally connected at 33with one arm of a bell crank lever 34. The bell crank lever 34 ispivotally supported at 35 on the bracket 19. There is an arm 32 for eachend of the bar 30 and each of the bell crank levers 34 is connected bymeans of a link 36 to a universal bar 37 extending transbon isalternately wound and unwound from 'versely' of the machine beneath thekey levers 38.- Springs 39 normally draw the arms 32 upwardl .to rockthebar 30 to its limiting position against stop pins 40. Each time a keylever 38 is depressed the bar 30will be rocked in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 2, which movement will retract the pawl 27When the key is released the springs 39 will turn the arms 32 andadvance the awl 27 to feed the ribbon spool in a cloc wise direction, asviewed in Fig. 2. A detent 41 is pivotally mounted at 42 on a bracket 43projecting inwardly from the side plate of the main frame. and the pawl27 and detent 41 are resiliently held in contact with the members 47secured to the inner face of the side plate of the machine frame andprojecting inwardly therefrom. The upwardly extending arms 45 are.controlled by a cross-bar 48 mounted to slide transversely of thetypewriter frame arid guided in slots 49 in the bracket member 47. Thebar 48 is provided with cam faces 50 in position to cooperate with thearms 45 and swing one of the arms forwardl while the. other arm is heldin retracte position by its spring 44. The cam faces .50 are providedwith notches 51 which retain the arms 45 in their foremost position,thus holding the pawls connected therewith out of operative relationwith the corresponding ratchet teeth 26. The position of the ribbonreverse bar 48 is shifted to reverse the direction of ribbon feed eachtime the ribbon is completely unjwound from one of the spools. The bar.48 is shifted by bell crank levers pivoted at 52 on the brackets 47.These bell crank levers are provided with arms 53 which en-- gage pins54 on the bar 48. The arms 55 of the bell crank leverscarry rockerlevers 56 pivoted at 57 on the arms 55. The forward ends of the levers56 are bent to form contact bars 58 normally disposed in the path ofarms 59 on bell crank levers 60' ivoted at 61 on the side wall of themain rame 10. The arm 59 is provided with an offset portion 62 to bringthe end of the arm into position toengage the contact bar 58. The bellcrank lever 60 is provided with an upwardly and forwardly extending arm63 which carries a roller 64 at its end in position to rest on theribbon wound upon the spool 17. The core 22 of the spool 17 is providedwith a notch 65 into which the roller 64 drops when the ribbon iscompletely unwound from the spool. This movement of the roller 64 willcause the arm 59 to -swing the lever 56 from its broken line to its fullline position shown in Fig. 2. broken line position .by a spring 66. Theend of the lever 56 opposite the contact bar 58 is provided with a camplate 67 which moves downwardly when the lever is swung to'the full lineposition in Fig. 2. This will bring the cam plate 67 into the path of anupwardly extending arm 68 secured to the rocker bar 30. It will beapparent that the arm 68will move forwardly each time the bar 38 isoscillated by the depression of a key lever. So long as the roller Thelever 56 is normally held inthe 64 is supported on the ribbon wound uponthe spool 17, the oscillation of the arm 68 will not affect the camplate 67 but when the roller 64 drops into the notch 65 the camdirection, as viewed in that figure, and shift 7 the bar 48 "to the leftreleasing the lever 45 from the notch 51 and permitting it to moverearwardly under the tension of the spring 44 to bring the detent 41 andthe pawl 27 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 26. At the same timethe cam face 50 at the opposite side of the typewriter will press thelever 45 at that side forwardly and release the pawls from the ribbonspool ratchet. In this way the direction of the ribbon feed will bereversed and the ribbon will be rewound upon the spool which has justbeen emptied.

The detent 41 is provided with a pin 69 which projects through anopening in' the pawl 27 to "retain the pawl and detent in properrelation to one another at all times.

An arm 70 is pivoted at 7 1 on the rearporj the other as soon as it haspast the central position in its range ofmovement. The ribon extendsupwardly from the spools 17 and passes through loops 74 carried by arms75. supported on a shaft or bar 76 which is pivotall mounted in the sidewalls of the frame. T e ribbon extends from one loop 74 to the other infront of the platen 16 in position to be struck by the type bars. Anysuitable guide for the ribbon may be provided at the printing point,such guide eing carried by an arm 77 also secured to the rod '76. Whenthe platen carriage is moved to its folded position the guides 75 and 77 swing forwardly so that theywill not extend above the up er edge ofthe Ina-- chine frame. The r0 7 6 may be providedwith a rearwardlyextending arm 78 which engages a slot in a bar 7 9 shdably mounted ontherear of the machine frame. The bar 79 projects upwardl in position toengage the lower surface 0 the carriage frame 12 when the frameis movedto its 0 crating-"- 1 of the machine frame andare connected by theribbon spools 17 occupy positions at oplinks 82 to sub-levers 83 whichare operated the key levers 38. It will be noted that posite sides ofthe tape bar basket, but within the confines of the machine frame, thusproviding a very compact construction I and permitting the machine tofold into a moved to its operating small space when not in use. 1

I claim I 1. In a compactible typewriter, a main frame, a platencarriage frame pivotally mounted thereon for movement into and out ofoperating position, a ribbon guide on said main frame arrangedto projectinto position to guide a ribbon adjacent said platen, said guide beingfoldable into compacted position, and means for automatically movingsaid guide into operating position when said platen carriage frame ismoved into its operating position.

2. In a compactible typewriter, a main frame a platen carriage framepivotally mounted on said main frame for movement into and out ofoperating position, ribbon spools carried'by said main frame, ribbonfeed mechanism carried by said main frame for operating said spools, aribbon guide mounted on said main frame and movable into and out of thepath of said platen carriage frame, said guide being foldable intocompacted position when said platen carriage is folded, and means forautomatically movingsaid guide into operating position when said platencarriage frame is position, and after said platen carria e as movedpast'the point in its path 0 travel into said guide projects wl en inoperating position.

3. In a typewriter, a supporting frame, a pair of ribbon spools mountedon said frame pawl and ratchet mechanism for" each of said spools,levers for disconnecting said pawl and ratchet mechanisms, a barslidable transversely of said typewriter andhaving means thereon foractuating said levers when said bar is slid to disconnect the pawl andratchet mechanism of one of said spools when the mechanism of the otherspool is connected, ke lever operated means for actuating said ar,followers arranged to engage the ribbon .on said spools, and meanscontrolled by said followers for brm ng said key lever operated meansinto position to actuate said bar and effect a reversal of the pawl andratchet mechanism whenever the ribbon is completely unwound from eitherone of said spools.

4-. In combination with the key levers of a typewriter, of a memberoscillated at each position where itoperation of the key levers, ribbonfeeding mechanism, mechanism for reversing said ribbon feeding mechanismcomprising a sliding bar, a pivoted lever having pivotal connection withsaid sliding bar for operating said reversing mechanism, said leverhaving a pivoted member thereon movable into and out of the path of saidoscillating member so that said pivoted member is engaged by saidoscillating member to operate said lever and reverse said feeding mech-'anism whenever. said pivoted member is i moved into the path of saidoscillating member, and means controlled by the ribbon for moving saidpivoted member into the path of said oscillating member when it isdesired to reverse the ribbon feeding mechanism.

5. A typewriter comprising a main frame,

a spool mounted on ahorizontal axis on said frame, a follower mounted ona horizontal pivot and arranged to rest upon the ribbon. on said spool,a. bell crank lever arranged to swing in a horizontal plane, a keyactuated oscillating member, a vertically swinging contact piece carriedby said bell crank lever, means actuated by said follower for swingingsaid contact piece into the path of said oscillating member when. theribbon is unwound from said spool, mechanism for rotating said spool tofeed the ribbon carried thereby, and means actuated by said bell cranklever for reversing the direction of operation of said feeding means.

6. A typewriter comprising a main frame, a platen carriage framepivotally mounted on saidmain frame an having supporting arms ositionedat opposite sides of said main rame, ribbon mechanism mounted on saidmain frame and com risbon sup orts arrangedone adjacent each of said ribon spools, said supports being foldably'mounte on said main frame andhaving guides thereon in alinement with the peripheries of said ribbonspools to direct the ribbon from said spools across said typewritersubstantially parallel with said platen carriage support.

7.. A typewriter comprising a main frame, a platen carriage frame havingarms pivoted'to said main. frame and arranged adjacent the sidesthereof, ribbon spools journaled on horizontal axes at opposlte sides ofsaid main frame and adjacent the inner sides of said foldable'arms, abar extending transversely of said main frame, and a pair of spacedribbon guides mounted on said bar and foldable forwardly into compactposition. 7

8. A typewriter comprisinga main frame,

said platen carriage frame and extending transversely of said mainframe, ribbon spools journaled on horizontal axes at opp0 site sides ofsaid main frame, said spools having core members provided withperipheral recesses, a follower pivoted adjacent each of said spoolsandhaving'a contact member arranged to bear upon the ribbon.

,wound upon said spool, pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating each ofsaid a lever pivoted adjacent each spool the pawl and ratchet mechanismtherefor, a transversely extending bar for controlling both of saidlevers, a pivoted.

spools, for disengaging OTTO; A. HOKANSON.

